Creole Starshine
by SalemCassidy
Summary: Completely original characters and only original characters. Ashley is the vampire master of the city. Gabriel is an ex-hustler and Ashley's new favourite dress up doll. This is a gay sort of thing, Ashley and Gabriel with never do it, but Gabriel might.
1. Reunions

The doleful cry of the train's whistle shattered the silence of the sultry summer night

The doleful cry of the train's whistle shattered the silence of the sultry summer night. The sound startled a flock of bats and their dark bodies blotted out the light of the pale silver moon. Sitting cross-legged and serene beneath a large Spanish Oak was a pale young man. He watched as the small furry animals flew across the moon, when the cloud had passed he stood up and raised his face to the moon. The soft glow shone off his smooth white features and lit his eerily pale golden eyes. He smiled at the glowing orb and the white light shined on his oddly long canines. Raising his arms as if to embrace the lunar goddess he spun around and around until he became a twirling blur. The wind from the blurred form kicked up a tornado of leaves and they circled the young man like a loose overcoat. Soon the blurred form within the tunnel of leaves became smaller and smaller until it was the size of one of the bats. Suddenly out of the wind tunnel a small fuzzy form rose, flapping its wings, and rising into the bright night sky. The lone bat flew not toward the bayou and the fruit but towards the warm bodies of the Rue Royal and the infamous night club, Lilith's Cave.

The small bat landed in the alleyway behind the night club. The animal began to spin and trash formed another wind tunnel around it, the shape within grew larger and larger until again it was the size of the young man. He stood and shook himself like a dog. Smoothing his hair and clothes he walked around to the front and went into Lilith's Cave.

Inside the red neon lights circling the room pulsed with the heavy beat of the music. In a pit in the center of the bar people twisted serpentine to the music. The young man walked to an empty table and sat down. He was watching the dancer when a slender woman sat down beside him.

"Hello, Gabriel," she sat softly.

"Long time no see, Ashley."

"Still angry with me, I see."

"The creature you see before you, this inhuman body, is your doing, why shouldn't I be, Mother!"

"Isn't it better than having a cancer gnawing away at your lungs?"

"I don't see how now the cancer is eating my blood as quickly as I can replace it."

"Could you have replaced your lungs," he looked at her balefully and she frowned, "please don't be angry with me, it is a terrible thing to have your child hate you for eternity."

"Stop begging, it doesn't suit you. I have become accustomed to this life and it is a interesting experience."

"That is good, those who become bored too young do not last long."

"I'm glad you are satisfied."

"Do you want to dance?"

"I don't dance, I've never been coordinated enough."

"Your forgetting something, Doll baby, you can move like a cat now. All of us can dance look down there in that pit, all of those humans can dance, and so can you. Come along, Gabriele, dance with your mommy."

"Well I suppose it won't hurt me to give you one dance, I haven't had trouble breathing since we met." Ashley led Gabriele down into the dance pit and draped her arms over his shoulders. Sweet Dreams by Marilyn Manson began blaring over the sound system and they began swaying to the distorted music. Gabriele was surprised by how well he was able to dance now. When the song went off he was reluctant to leave the dance floor. He liked the sensation of dancing so close to this beautiful 'young' woman. It made him feel closer to this creature he had despised for two years. He felt his bitter hatred ebb and be replaced by a peaceful glow. The truth was he had missed her, he had fallen in love with her during the brief time he had known her, and his hatred had mostly been the pain of abandonment. Having her close to him again took away the searing pain and replaced it with a warm feeling of being protected. When the next song came on, an achingly sweet slow song, he held her close to him and began to sway in a soft swishing gait. She laughed softly, sweetly and rested her chin on his shoulder, which was just the right height. She had missed her fledgling just as much as he missed her, the centuries got cold and lonely and having someone to share the ages with warmed the night. It all made her regret leaving the city at all, but it couldn't be helped. A fledgling harbors a deep resentment for their maker the first few months and seeing this pale young beauty hating her would have singed her soul. She loved this child like no other creature she had ever known. He was still innocent, not hardened by the lonely nights, perhaps he would not have to experience them with her by his side. The slow song ended and the next was a fast number. She was in far too soft a mood to dance to the harsh music. She looked into his eyes questioningly and he nodded, he didn't want to deal with the fast music either. They climbed the stairs back out of the pit and left the bar.

"Do you have an apartment here," she asked him when they reached the quite of the dark street.

"An apartment? I thought we were supposed to live in the cemetery." She laughed gently and placed a hand on either side of his face.

"Now I feel really guilty for leaving, you learned everything about who you are from a movie. You don't have to live in a cemetery or sleep in a coffin, I spent the last two years sleeping in a hotel room in London. You poor baby come on I'll get us a hotel room you can sleep in a nice soft bed."

"That sounds nice, but do you have any money?"

"Yes, not that I need it. I could get them to give the room for free."

"How would you do that?

"We can be very persuasive. It's one of our talents."

"Oh you mean like the bat thing."

"The bat thing, you know about that?"

"Yeah, I did it the first time when I was dancing in the moonlight."

"I thought you didn't dance?" She raised her eyebrow and he blushed. "Well anyway let's go get that hotel room, you need a bath."

"I stink?"

"No you just smell a little musty, have you changed your clothes?"

"No I haven't exactly had a chance to go shopping being the way I am and all." She threw her arm around his shoulder like and old buddy.

"Child, you have a lot to learn." Ashley lead him out of the Rue Royal and back into the Garden District. Nestled in the middle of the residential district was a small hotel, the Black Orchid. Of all the monstrous hotels in New Orleans this one was Ashley's favorite, partially because this is the house she grew up in, and because no one even knew it was there. Privacy was her greatest concern when she visited her home town; she still had family living there: family that would recognize her as a young woman, while they had all grown old.When she guided Gabriel into the small b&b the keeper looked up and smiled.

"Ah, Madame, how nice it is to see your lovely face again."

"Hello, Margaritte, is my usual room still vacant?"

"As always, my dear, I still don't see what you see in that dusty little room."

"I like to sleep late, it is the only one without windows."

"Hmm, well, as you wish, dear." She said with a slightly disproving tone.

"I will have a guest with me this time, would you mind leaving me two robes?"

"No, Madame, there will be two robes waiting for you tomorrow evening." Ashley smiled and led Gabriel down a small flight of stairs to a stately, lilac door.

"You know, this used to be a fruit cellar until Margarite bought the house and converted into a room."

"How do you know that?"

"My parents built this house."

"It is realistically antique looking, to be so new."

"I'm older than I look, Darling."

"Oh," he said surveying the room, "where should I sleep?"

"In the bed, silly, where else?"

"Then where are you sleeping?

"Right beside you, where else? Your not turning shy on me, are you?"

"No, it's just the way you left out of here I figured you weren't that interested in being close to me."

"I left outa here like a bat out of hell because fledglings are usually very hurtful the first few years."

"Well, I wasn't, I just couldn't figure out why you had left me alone in this new world. I think I was more hurt than hurtful. How could I be too angry with you? Before I met you I was a street hustler dying of lung cancer."

"It wasn't just lung cancer you were dyeing of, you had HIV too.."

"I what? How do you know?" He asked fear swelling up in his throat.

"I tasted it on your blood, hey, don't worry. The Blood killed it just like it did the cancer."

"It's still scary, think of all the people I could have it passed on to. Think how I would have died, out in the cold without the medication to fend off the pain."

"Well that's all behind you now, there is no pain, no sorrow in this world. Except for loneliness that is."

"You won't be lonely anymore; I'm here for you until the end, if you'll have me."

"Of course I'll have you; I wouldn't have made you if I thought I couldn't stand you for eternity. Now lay down so we can get some sleep."

"There is one more problem; I haven't laid in the same bed with a woman. We didn't get many women down at the gravel pit."

"Don't worry; all I expect from you is to get good days sleep. It's all I want, sex messes everything up. Don't worry it's easier to be gay this way than to be a gay human. We aren't as judgmental."

"I don't know whether I'm gay or not, I was a virgin when I got into the business, and I couldn't bring myself to pursue a relationship because I eventually began to hate even the idea of any kind of sex."

"Well all I need is a companion to pass the centuries with, after a certain age sex doesn't really matter any more." At this point Gabriel lay down beside her and she pulled his head against her shoulder and wrapped her arm around him.

She felt the sun rise. She felt weak and her eyes grew heavy until finally she dozed off to sleep. The day went by while the companions lay together like lost children. Margarita put two fresh robes outside the door and smiled, she was used to Miss Ashley's odd sleeping habits, and it was nice to see her with someone. She was such a lonely young woman.

While the sun was still making red streaks across the bayou Ashley woke up and smiled down at Gabriel. He was young and likely to sleep until the sun slipped beneath the swamps so she went and got the robes and took a bath in the lavish claw foot tub in the bathroom. When she was finished she ran another bath and went back into the bedroom. She went over to the bedroom and gently began to remove Gabriel's clothes. After she had put the pile of clothes in the laundry basket outside the door she picked him up in her arms and carried him to the bath. Slipping him gently into the warm water she picked up a small vase and poured the water in it over his head rinsing the dust from his long pale red hair. He hadn't been lying from the state of his clothes and hair he had been sleeping in a mausoleum and he hadn't taken a bath either.

"It is a good thing our people don't begin to smell ripe, mon bebe," she murmured adoringly. She ran a small rag over his small shoulders and down his stomach. She was surprised when she the rag caught on something. Reaching beneath the water she found the rag snagged on his bellybutton ring. She smiled and laughed,

"good thing you never removed that, the hole would have grown up instantly." She ran her teeth across her tongue it showed no sign of being pierced last year in Paris.

When she had him cleaned off she raised him out of the water and put his robe on him and took him back to bed. She sat beside him until finally the sun slipped to sleep beneath the bayou mud. He stirred and sat upright with a vicious snarl. She burst out laughing. She remembered waking up in a strange room and almost killing whoever was near, it was just part of being young. When he had came to his senses he looked down and then looked up accusingly at her.

"Relax, all you got was a bath, which you severely needed."

"Why didn't I wake up?"

"You wouldn't have woken up if I had thrown your boney butt out in the sunshine." He sat there with a small pout on his face.

"You shouldn't have stripped me, it was very impolite."

"Oh come on you would have killed for a stripper job before I met you."

"Augh," he yelled and stood up, "where are my clothes."

"Come on, don't be angry. Besides you can't leave, your clothes are in the laundry." He sat back down and continued to pout. "Don't be such a drama queen I told you I'm not looking for sex, besides your too young for me."

"I am not I'm twenty, I was eighteen when you changed me."

"You were sixteen when I changed you. You're only eighteen."

"Um, whatever." He said opening the door. Margarita stood with her hand raised in front of the door staring at the nude boy framed by his open robe.

"Oh, I'm sorry." She stammered as she turned her back. Gabriel closed the door and ran to the bathroom. Ashley collapsed across the bed laughing.

"Don't you have anything I can wear." Gabriel called out from the bathroom. A sadistic grin spread across her face as she dug through her suitcases for a black thong. She pulled it and a pair of black jeans from the suitcase and pushed it throught the bathroom door. She listened and giggled as he moaned loudly at the sight of the thong. A couple of minutes later he came waddling out of the bathroom, shirtless, and pulling at the seat of his jeans. He glanced at the evil grin on her face.

"Have mercy I usually wear boxers."

"Oh, don't frown so, you'll get wrinkles."

"Really?" He asked a confused look passing over his face.

"You poor silly little thing." She said a look of pure, genuine sympathy passed over her normally cold features. His face fell and a cold glint filled his eyes.

"You're making fun of me." Once again she kicked herself for leaving this poor childe all alone in the world, he was young even by human standards, and she had waltzed off leaving him to fend for himself, barely more than a boy.

"No, I'm not making fun of you. Now I regret leaving you here all by yourself.

It was cowardly."

"Yes it was," he said turning and scowling at her darkly. "Almost got killed!"

"What!" She asked her eyes flashing dangerously.

"Don't get mad at me, it wasn't my fault, I didn't know that I wasn't allowed there!" He said backing away from the small angry woman.

"Allowed where?"

"Bourbon and Canal. I went there during Marde Gras to see the floats, but some big creep grabbed me by the back of the neck and threw me out." He replied the defensive expression still on his face. A deep growl rose from her chest and he shied away backing into a corner to huddle. The woman was barely five feet tall and was considerably shorter than his five foot five, but he knew she was stronger than he was.

The glint of rage left her eyes when she saw the young boy back into the corner and crouch down defensively. She kicked herself once more but this time for an entirely different reason, she had scared the poor kid half to death

"Gabriel?" She called softly moving towards him. "Gabriel, its okay, I'm not mad at you and I'm not going to hurt you." She slowly reached a hand forward but he flinched and cringed closer to the wall. The boy had seen so much sadness and pain in his sixteen years, before she met him, and after that she left him fend for himself for two years. He clearly expected her to hateful and punch happy as the most of the Johns he had dealt with. He had told her stories, before her gift, of how some of the Johns paid money only to be able to beat the stuffing out of people, the last thing she wanted to do was bring more hurt into this poor boys life. "Gabriel, I swear by the Blood that I won't hurt you, ever. Someone has done something very stupid and has to pay for it, but that person is not you." He peered out at her searchingly and she nodded gently. Some of the fear left his eyes and he uncurled but still sat in the corner.

"Who?"

"What?"

"Who has to pay for doing something stupid?"

"I don't know. Someone thought they could muscle into my territory while I was gone, but they're wrong. The fact that they had the balls to chase my own childe from my territory really pisses me off." She answered him as gently as she could, barely suppressing her anger.

"Oh, well what are you going to do about it?" He asked innocently.

"Somebody…somebody is going to die tonight." A tremor ran through him but he took her for her word and stood up.

"Can we go shopping first?" He asked flinching slightly as the words left his mouth.

"What?"

"Can we go shopping? This thong is cutting in all over the place and I don't have a shirt."

"Oh…sure thing, but you'll have to have something to wear to the store." She turned around and began digging through one of her bags. "Here," she said throwing a black tank top towards him. "It'll come up about your navel, but if you got it pierced you must have wanted to show it off." He shrugged in answer and pulled the shirt over his head. When she began to remove her robe he saw that she had no attention of going into the bathroom to change he darted in there himself. She laughed quietly to herself and called over her shoulder. "You sure you're not gay." She took this to mean that he still wasn't sure, but she was.

"NO!" He shouted through the closed door. He loved Ashley, sex wasn't a pleasant prospect. It still bothered him that she had bathed him.

"It's okay now." She called through the door after she had finished dressing.

"Do you have enough money?" He asked opening the door.

"Don't worry about that, sugar."

"Okay, where's the Wal-Mart?" He asked sincerely.

"Wal-mart." She said nearly choking on the syllables. "No child of mine is going to walk around clothed in Wal-Mart clothes." She said cringing as she recognized her own mother's words coming out of her mouth.

"Wal-Mart clothes are okay for me."

"Ha…" She exclaimed taking his hand and dragging him towards the long black car in the driveway. The car wasn't new, in fact it was older than Gabriel, it wasn't a sports car either, but it was her prized possesion, a '76 black Monte Carlo. Opening the door she barely avoided braining the boy as she pushed him into the front seat. Dashing around the car she climbed in and turned the key. The engine roared to life and she threw the car into gear without looking behind her she tore backwards into the street. She pushed against the accelerator and the car jumped forward at a speed that caused Gabriel to spread his arms and legs out searching for something to brace himself against. She glanced at him laughing. "If we wreck it won't kill you."

"No, but it'll hurt." He replied buckling his seatbelt and digging his heals into the floorboard. She laughed once more but turned her eyes and focused on the road anyway, the boy was right, it would hurt a great deal. After what seems like mere seconds to the frightened Gabriel the car came to a surprisingly smooth stop. He looked out the window to see where they were but all he saw around them were warehouses.

"I'm too good for Wal-Mart clothes, but we're going to steal from warehouses."

"No, no, silly boy. This is one of the most exclusive boutiques in Louisiana." She replied in a grandiose French accent.

"Oo la la, I may be a silly boy, but I am not stupid, I know a warehouse when I see it, I've been on my knees in enough of them." He finished speaking more to himself than to Ashley. She winced slightly at the reference to his former life but circled the car and grabbed his hand.

"If you think I'm lying you'll just have to see then wont you?"

"I guess so," he replied still sounding unsure. She nodded and drug him towards one of the warehouses. On the side near the middle of the building a door made of the same corrugated tin as the rest of the building was barely visible. Ashley knocked on the door causing Gabriel to jump from the loud echoing booms it caused. Tapping her foot Ashley waited impatiently for and answer from the inside of the building.

"What's the password?" A gruff voice called from behind the mettle door.

"Let me in or I'll kill your family." Ashley called almost laughing at the look of horror on Gabriel's face.

"That's no great threat coming from a pygmy vampire." The voice replied laughing.

"Say that to my face you great lug." Ashley shouted through the door slightly annoyed. Slowly the door creaked open revealing a rather large black man in a leather shirt.

"Who's the bebe?" He asked with a heavy Creole accent.

"Rolyn, this is my childe Gabriel."

"Scrawny runt isn't he?" The large vampire asked peering inquisitively. "You always had a thing for strays." Gabriel's face fell and he looked down at his shoes.

"Shut up, Rolyn, the boy's had a hard life. He's been living in a mausoleum since I left him."

"He has?" He asked his voice softening. "Ashley, I told you if you abandoned another one of your bebes you had to tell me so I could watch after them." He said suddenly sounding slightly angry. "He's the first that's managed to survive."

"What!?" Gabriel shouted looking up. "You've given others the Blood and then just left them to die?"

"They all died of stupidity." She said with a noncommittal shrug.

"I almost did too." He replied nearly shouting, "I can't believe you." He turned and walked off.

"You and your big mouth." Ashley said angrily turning to Rolyn.

"Don't blame me because you've an icy heart." She rolled her eyes and walked off in the direction he was headed. "You saw what size he was pick out some pretty clothes and have them sent to Margaritte's." She called before she disappeared into the night after Gabriel. She found him rather quickly; it was easy to follow the sound of his sobbing to him. He had obviously not expected to be followed because he had only gone around the corner of the building and crouched behind a dumpster. Ashley walked up to the sobbing boy and crouched beside him peering at him through her long gold bangs. For the second time she had hurt him without meaning too, without thinking about it.


	2. Amends

"Come on boyo, I'm not so bad, let's go home

"Come on boyo, I'm not so bad, let's go home."  
"Not so bad? Not so bad, you're a monster…a heartless monster." He whispered turning his face from her.

"Oh, baby, I may be a monster but I'm far from heartless." She murmured sliding down beside him. He scooted away from her without even looking up.

"I love you." She said placing her hand on his shoulder. "How can someone heartless love?"

"What makes me different than the others, how can you love me, when you didn't them." He asked turning his golden eyes shining.

"I love you because you need me. You were a poor street kid turning tricks for food, you would have been dead in a year, and you were lonely like no one else it the world but me. We need each other kid, we need each other, or else we'll die of loneliness." She whispered leaning her head on his scrawny shoulder.

"One of the others couldn't have kept you company?"

"Not like you. I don't like owing anyone anything, and they weren't lonely like us, I needed them to chase the lonesomes away, you have them too, we can chase them away together." The sadness and longing in her voice rang out to him like an empty aching hole, putting his arm around her shoulder he leaned his head on top of hers.

"You won't throw me away….like the others?"

"Nope, you're stuck with me until the sun gets us both."

"You really love me?" He asked his voice tender and needing.

"Like the kitten I always wanted." His body stiffened beside her and she sighed, he was as messed up as she was. "I love you as much as anything I've ever loved, or anything I've ever lost." Relaxing he squeezed her tighter like a favorite teddy.

"You wanna go in and pick out some clothes?"

"I don't feel like shopping right now, I'm kind of hungry."

"Okay, we'll go to a restaurant." She said standing.

"It's not that kind of hungry, I need to drink." He said his stomach growling.

"That's what I meant; there are a few restaurants in this city that serve us."

"Really, I wish I had known that, I didn't have any money, but I still wish I'd known."

"Gabriel, how have you been feeding yourself?"

"Rats that live in the cemetery." Ashley cringed as a fresh wave of guilt flooded over her; maybe Rolyn was right maybe she did have an icy heart. This boy went through so much in life, and because of her, he had gone through so much in death. She lived in the lap of luxury while she was in Paris; this boy had lived in a crypt feeding on vermin.

"Didn't you think of feeding off humans?"

"I didn't want to hurt anyone."

"Okay, some of us don't like biting people, that's okay, I haven't bitten anyone in years, but if they donate the blood they don't get hurt."

"Donate?"

"Yeah, some of the blood from the banks go to our restaurants, we don't need much, they're really isn't that many of us compared to them, and we can't drink much. So we get some of the donated blood."

"Okay, I think I can drink some of that." He said standing up. He fidgeted and walked funny.

"That thong still bothering you?"

"Yeah, a little bit, maybe we could do a little shopping." He relented tugging at the seat of the jeans again.

"Can do." They went back around the side of the building and knocked again. Rolyn opened the door and let them in.

"Decided to shop anyway?"

"The boy needs a pair of shorts and whatever else he wants, go get him something to wet his whistle, he hasn't fed tonight." Rolyn went into the depths of the store and returned a short time later with a pair of red silk boxers and a glass of thick red liquid. Handing both to Gabriel he wandered back over to a black leather chair and sat down picking up a Fern Michaels novel. Ashley chuckled at the large man's love of soppy romance novels, he looked like an angry giant, but he was just a big teddy bear with big teeth.

"Um…Ash? Where's the dressing room?" Gabriel asked holding up the pair of boxers.

"There isn't one, no body who shops here has any modesty, but you can scamper off behind the racks." Nodding he handed her the glass and waddled behind a display of leather coats. Sniffing the glass Ashley smiled, Rolyn always had grade A nourishment. A few minutes later Gabriel stepped out from behind the display wearing only the red shorts and tank top.

"The pants won't fit over the boxers." He said holding his hands over his exposed shorts.

"Oh come on, it's not like Rolyn or I haven't seen a boy in drawers before." She said grabbing him by the hand. "To tell you the truth Rolyn's probably seen more than I."

"Hush up munchkin." Rolyn muttered not even taking his eyes of the book.

"What kind of pants do you want, Gabriel? She asked gesturing at the many racks loaded down with different articles of clothing.

"Those look nice." The boy said pointing at a pair of black pants covered in buckles with wide flairs at the bottom.

"Alright, get yourself a few pairs, and put some on if you must." He looked through the rack and pulled out three pairs of the pants, one he pulled on over the boxers, the others he laid on an empty stretch of counter. "Do you see anything else you like?"

"I don't want to spend a lot of your money." He said shaking his head.

"Honey, if you bought everything here, I'd still have enough, go on and get anything you want."

"You're sure?"

"Positive, consider it two years back birthday presents." Grinning he walked around the store picking out clothes and laying them on the pile She smiled, she enjoyed spending money making her childe happy, this was a small price to pay to see him smile so. "Don't forget shoes." She called out. A few minutes later he added pair of high heeled boots and a pair of comfy looking black sneakers on the counter. While he had been picking out clothes that he wanted she had been picking out a few nicer dress clothes and adding them to the pile. Finally he came back and looked at her hesitantly.

"What is it, baby?"

"There's one more thing, but it's really high and I wanted to ask you first."

"I said anything, didn't I?"

"Yeah, but it's really too much."

"Show me." She said handing him the glass. "Drink up it's getting cold." He took a long sip from the glass and smacked his lips.

"This is good, a lot better than that other stuff and I feel fuller." She nodded and he walked on. Stopping in front of a rack of black leather trench coats he looked at her. Picking up price tag she laughed.

"It's too much isn't it?" He asked his face falling slightly.

"Nothing's too much for my boy." She said pulling down a coat from the rack and handing it to him. The coat was a paltry sum, she had shoes that cost more, but she would let the boy keep his spendthrift attitude, it made him a better person in some ways.

"Finish your drink, you'll be full then, then pick out an outfit you want to wear, we're going to Canal." He shivered a little bit but nodded and downed the glass. He went over to the counter and pulled on the boots, a mess shirt, and the coat. She picked out an outfit and went over in a corner to put it on, she had dressed for a simple night of shopping, now she was going to go display her power. She donned a pair of tight leather pants, boots with a thinner heel than Gabriel's, a red blouse, and a coat to match the boy's.

While Rolyn helped Gabriel carry his cloths to the counter she found something else for the boy and picked them up. Walking to the counter she handed Rolyn her bank card and turned to look at Gabriel. He looked magnificent in his new oufit, the boots made him taller, and the shirt showed off his chest. Her outfit was designed for the same purpose. Rolyn handed her back the card without announcing a price, that was for best, Gabriel would probably freak out and try to put things back, beside in Rolyn's if you needed to know the price you probably couldn't afford it.

"Would you mind wearing these for me, darlin'?" She asked handing Gabriel two ruby hair combs and a set of earrings.

"You'll have to put these in for me, I don't know how, and my ears aren't pierced." He said handing her the combs. They were lovely little trinkets, sliver combs with ruby crescent moons set in the handle, men didn't usually wear combs, but Gabriel's hair was pretty enough to deserve them. She slipped them behind his ears and slid them into the thick red hair; they swept the hair away from his ears and held it against the back of his head.

"These earrings are specially made for us, they have very sharp posts, so they pierce the ear each time they go in since our holes grow up the minute we take them out."

"Oh, will it hurt?"

"Didn't that?" She asked pointing at his bellybutton.

"I was drunk." He admitted quietly.

"Oh, well these won't hurt much, and it'll only be for a mere minute."

"Okay, go ahead." Holding his ear steady she popped the earring through and shut secured it. "Will you get it over with, you're making me nervous." He whimpered.

"It's done." Rolyn chuckled shaking his head.

"I didn't feel it." Gabriel whispered reaching up to touch the ring in his ear. Nodding Ashley pushed the matching ring through the cartilage in his other ear. The two rings matched the combs perfectly.

"Do you think we could put one in the other ear up there, and get a new one for my belly, this one's kind of cheap?"

"Sure, sugar, whatever you want." Rolyn handed her another ring for the cartilage and ran over to the jewelry case to get a matching ring for his navel. Ashley pierced the other cartilage and removed the bellybutton ring. The skin of his stomach puckered in and became whole as if it had never been pierced.

"Wow, that is amazing."

"Yes, it is, now hold still." Pinching the skin above his navel she pushed the ring through and secured it. She looked up and saw Gabriel smiling back down at her, grinning she straightened up and looked a Rolyn.

"Have the rest of these clothes sent to the hotel, we'll be out late."

"Don't kill anyone unless you have to, ma petite." He said his voice tightening.

"They invaded my land and threatened my childe, Rolyn. Someone has to die tonight."

"That's true, girl, that's true. Give 'em hell." They turned to leave and he spoke again. "You look nice kid, be glad she loves you." Gabriel nodded and followed Ashley to the car.


	3. Temperance and Passion

"Come on boyo, I'm not so bad, let's go home

The Monte Carlo roared as Ashley turned it towards Canal and pushed her foot heavily against the accelerator. As she entered her territory she could feel the presence of vampires who did not belong. Anger filled her head and small snarl escaped her throat as her eyes hyper dilated ready for a fight. With a rush of adrenaline her senses kicked up even more and she could smell Gabriel's fear beside her.

"Don't worry, bebe, tonight you having nothing to fear." The boy relaxed, barely, but enough that she knew he no longer feared her anger but what lay ahead. Never before had another vampire dared enter her territory while she was gone, but now an entire cadre of foreign vampires had invaded and threatened her own blood there would be a high payment for grievances such as these. She pulled up in front of a bistro called _Sang_, there was a car in her parking space. As owner of the restaurant and lord of the territory the space was the least of her many possessions but tonight it needled her above all else. Parking illegally in front of the door she threw open her car door and stepped out. She could feel her anger radiating from her body like heat and every vampire in the vicinity could feel it too. Gabriel opened his door much more carefully and followed her as she stalked towards the door.

As she stepped through the ornate glass door of _Sang _the human metre'd stepped towards her. He had been hired since she left because she did not recognized him and he obviously did not recognized her. Flashing her angry black eyes at him he took a step back and allowed Gabriel and her to pass unmolested. Dressed as they were the two new comers were very out of place in the bistro _Sang_ was a top end establishment and human or no you could not get in without a suit and tie. The vampires dotted about the room shivered as they felt the angry heat of Ashley's power prickle across their skin. The humans watched her with disdain as she half ran through the elegant dining room to the manager's office.

The door was closed and in her anger Ashley nearly knocked it off the hinges with a single knock. The door opened to reveal a pasty faced man in a tuxedo whose eyes grew wide at the sight of his better.

"Lady Ashley what a surprise to see you. I trust Paris was lovely this trip?" He said his voice trembling ever so slightly.

"Botte, there are strange vampires in my lands; they threatened my child, who the fuck is responsible for this!" She said her voice rising into an enraged shout.

"My lady, it is not my fault I could not stop them I am not strong enough."

"Who is 'tem'" She asked fighting to keep her voice under control. Botte cowered slightly against this new wave of rage that breathed across his skin like air from the mouth of a cave.

"The master calls himself Lyzander, they came from Florence. They're an old bloodline…so powerful. The master, he carries the gift of fire." The tall man stammered twisting the rings on his fingers nervously. A hiss of anger and frustration escaped from Ashley's mouth as she slumped into the chair behind the desk. Gabriel sidled between the thin vampire and the desk coming to stand behind her right shoulder.

"Where are they staying." She said her eyes widening as she noticed Botte shudder.

"They took over Greywind." The man whispered flinching as her rage caused the temperature in the room to drop drastically.

"Goddammit!," she shrieked standing and sending the heavy wooden desk scooting across the floor. "This foreign bastard has the gall to come here and invade my home. Come on, bebe, we have some housecleaning to do." She said nearly knocking over Botte as she brushed past him. As they passed back through the restaurants the people sitting at the tables shuddered and stare as a very angry master of the territory stormed by them an icy air following her like a train.

The pair had settled themselves back into the front seat of the Cobra where Ashley sat seething staring blindly out the front windshield. The temperature inside the car dropped the moment the angry vampire got in and continued to drop steadily. Fog began to form on the windshield as the glass grew cold enough to cause the humid outside air to condense against it.

"Ashley? What's Greywind?" Gabriel asked as the curiosity and his discomfort got the better of him. Ashley didn't say anything for a moment as she slowly counted to ten. She swore that she would not scare the boy anymore tonight and she intended to stand by that.

"Margaritte's b&b is where I stay when I'm in the city. My actual home is on the outskirts, Greywind. It's where I keep my belongings and for this lifetime it is my legal residence. Ah…think of me as the president of the city and Greywind is my whitehouse….that damn Florentine ass took my white house!" She shouted losing control of her temper Gabriel barely flinched as the wave of energy filled the car causing the temperature to plummet and the condensation on the windshield to freeze with an audible crunch. Gabriel pulled his trench coat tighter around himself, the cold really couldn't harm him but he didn't enjoy it and it caused his exposed nipples to pebble.

"Well let's go kill them horribly, shall we?" Ashley turned to him her jaw dropping slightly before she burst into laughter. As the tension left her the car began to warm the balmy temperature outside invading the car and thawing the frost that had formed on the window. As the air warmed Gabriel allowed the heavy leather to fall away from his chest but still crossed his arms for his own modesty's, what remain of it, sake.

"I'm sorry for laughing; you're too cute to sound frightening." She explained gasping through the last trickles of laughter bubbling up from inside.

"I wasn't going for menacing, I was going for funny…you were trying to freeze me to death." He replied covertly trying to massage some of the blood away from his protruding nipples.

"You can't freeze to death but it probably wasn't very nice to got ice queen with you in the car. I'm sorry. So ­_shall _we go kill them horribly?"

"Um…actually I'd rather not. You see that one fellow I ran into was rather large and he shook me like a rag doll, I'd really prefer not to die…aren't I too cute to die?"

"Well…I would be sorely vexed if you got killed or hurt…and I probably couldn't find another one like you for a couple of years…though I could look…."

"Hey!"

"But I'd rather keep you with me for a few centuries at least, if only to peek at that pretty little ass while you sleep." She murmured fixing the young man with a lewd gaze and lascivious smirk. Gabriel responded by sinking lower in his seat and fighting back a bright red blush that spread across his face, chest, and stomach.

"Now that is cute. I'll definitely have to keep you alive now just so I can make you do that again. Does it go all the way down?" She pondered taking in the full body blush.

"You…you're gonna undress me while I sleep. Again?" Gabriel asked sheepishly.

"No, that was a joke. You really don't like girls do you?"

"Not particularly, I mean like I said we never got many down at the gravel pits…but we did get a few. They usually went for the bigger muscle guys but one came for me once."

"You didn't enjoy yourself did you?"

"No, not that I ever really enjoyed myself, but I was usually on the bottom anyway that time I had to be on top and….and I mean she was pretty considering…but…" He stammered.

"But you couldn't get it up?"

"Or keep it up. She laughed at me, said that if I was gonna fag out on me I could walk back to the pits and go hungry."

"If you ever see her when we're out together, point her out for me would you, baby?"

"Sure…why?"

"I'll eat the bitch! No one calls my boy a fag and survives!"

"But I am, aren't I?" Gabriel said unable to help being pleased by the older vampire's protective vehemence.

"No, fag is a bad nasty word that no one should use in regards to another person, you're gay…there's a difference."

"So you'd really eat someone for calling me a name?"

"You're my baby now; I'll eat someone for looking at you funny."

"We don't have to have sex do we?" Gabriel asked scooting further down into his seat and looking out the window.

"Sex, why would we have to have sex? Listen I was just joking about leering at your ass while you're asleep. I just wanna have someone to keep me company you don't have to do anything you don't want to. I promise, if anyone ever tries to force you to do anything I'll eat them…actually I'll probably just dismembered them slowly while they watch." Gabriel still kept his face towards the window. Ashley reached out her hand and threaded her fingers through the soft hair that fell down his back in waves. Gabriel leaned into her caress before turning to wrap his arms around her waist.

"You'll keep me safe?"

"Forever."

"You won't leave me behind again?"

"Never."

"You won't undress me again?" Ashley was quite for a few moments before answering.

"Not without asking you first."

"Fair enough, and if I say no?"

"I'll ask again in twenty minutes."

"Is that persistence or patience?"

"A little bit of both."

"Do I really have a sweet ass?"

"Oh, yeah. A sweet ass, a sweet face, a tight little stomach, and the prettiest chest I've ever seen." Ashley muttered running her hand through the young vampires swirling red locks.

"Really?"

"Yes, the only reason I'm not fondling you right now is because you wouldn't enjoy it half as much as I would."

"I couldn't stop you." He stated his voice empty of emotion.

"No you probably couldn't but you might start crying and crying boys make it itchy."

"I've never cried…not unless they asked me to…or made me." He whispered a small shiver running through his slight frame.

"Well it's a moot point really. I don't like doing things to people against their will. You're virtues will remain intact as far as I'm concerned, I can get boys on my own without having to force myself on such luscious creatures as yourself, mon chaton."

"Okay," he said releasing her waist and sitting back up in his seat. "We gonna go kill the bad guys now?"

"No, not tonight, I've calmed somewhat now. It wouldn't do to go in half cocked, I might get injured, you might get injured, I might get killed, you might get killed. I'm wouldn't look forward to any of those things. If I bit it I'm sure Rolyn would take care of you for me, but I'd rather take care of you myself."

"Rolyn is a very large, very scary man. I'd rather you take care of me too."

"Royn is a very large, very scary pussy cat. He'd be good to you: give you the finest blood, let you wear anything in the shop, lavish you with jewelry, and slobber after you like a schoolboy."

"Rolyn is gay?"

"Rolyn is a big queen with a heart of platinum, gold's tacky. He looks mean but he sits all there all day reading sappy romance novels by southern women and dreams of finding Mr. Right."

"Wow."

"You wanna drop back by the warehouse?" Ashley asked teasingly.

"Not particularly, Rolyn could break me and half…trying to be gentle. I'm not ready for…sex or anything that might lead up to sex."

"Okay, but I'll help you nail someone pretty when you're ready. Let's head back to Margaritte's. We can but away all your new clothes, unless you wanna play fashion show for me."

"Maybe." Laughing Ashley put the car into drive and sped off towards the Black Orchid.


End file.
